


In the morning (I feel my heart crack open)

by psyfrog



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Just let me live vicariously through Zuko, M/M, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sleepy Cuddles, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psyfrog/pseuds/psyfrog
Summary: There was a time when the sun’s first appearance only brought Zuko dread. Injected life and energy into him without permission and without warning. Drenching him in the ferocity of day, rushed and unprepared. There was a time when morning meant the start of another day of stress, anger, and struggle. He fought hard to slip into the nothingness of sleep every night, only for it to be taken away from him by endless episodes of nightmares, and eventually by the relentless light of day. Firebenders were supposed to crave the first signs of morning, but for Zuko, it always seemed to come too soon. It meant the end of another failed attempt of hiding from the shrinking shadows of night.Now, he wouldn’t dare run from the light. He embraces it, he lives for it. All it took was for someone to give him a reason....Purely Zukka morning cuddles :)
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 96





	In the morning (I feel my heart crack open)

First comes the feeling.

Safe. Comfort. Home.

It’s not so much physical as it is soaked into the very core of his being.

Second comes the warmth.

The body pressed against his, perfectly encased beside, under, above. It emits a feeling of love so soft and infinite. Filling the quiet space of the room around them, drowning any sign of anxiety or fear.

There was a time when the sun’s first appearance only brought Zuko dread. Injected life and energy into him without permission and without warning. Drenching him in the ferocity of day, rushed and unprepared. There was a time when morning meant the start of another day of stress, anger, and struggle. He fought hard to slip into the nothingness of sleep every night, only for it to be taken away from him by endless episodes of nightmares, and eventually by the relentless light of day. Firebenders were supposed to crave the first signs of morning, but for Zuko, it always seemed to come too soon. It meant the end of another failed attempt of hiding from the shrinking shadows of night.

Now, he wouldn’t dare run from the light. He embraces it, he lives for it. All it took was for someone to give him a reason.

Zuko nuzzles deeper into the neck beside him, breathing in the familiar scents of saltwater, sandalwood, and campfire. Sokka.

Ankles intertwined. Hips connected. Hearts beating as one.

Zuko could stay here all day if it weren’t for his duties as Firelord. He knows he can’t stay all day, his mind already simmers with the list of tasks, meetings, and decisions on his agenda. He can’t sink back into the depths of peaceful sleep. So instead, he sinks into the body beside him.

_Five more minutes_ , he tells himself. The promise is bittersweet and comes with the reminder that this perfect morning must come to an end eventually. The day is waiting.

Zuko almost always needs to be out the door before Sokka. When they first started dating, he felt so guilty those mornings when he accidentally woke Sokka up between the time of untangling their bodies and slipping out the door. Over the years, Sokka eventually convinced him that it was fine if he woke him up. In fact, it was at his request that Zuko _should_ wake him up (for a good morning kiss, no less, but Zuko took it and ran). _If Sokka wants kisses, that's exactly what he’s going to get and then some._

Suddenly, breathing in the smells of his husband, feeling the warmth of him at every point down his body, is not enough.

Watching Sokka sleep is one of Zuko’s favorite pastimes. It gives him the chance to memorize the relaxed features on his husband's face; freckles scattered down the slope of his nose, eyelashes brushing softly against the skin of his face, lips parted slightly as he quietly sips in and sighs out air. He’s beautiful. But he’s not awake. Nothing beats seeing the endless wonder and determination in those bright blue eyes. Hearing the roughness of his voice in the morning that’s always somehow both teasing and calming. Tasting the skin on his chest, his neck, his lips.

Zuko gently untangles an arm from around Sokka’s waist and slides it up his chest, stopping above the other man’s heart. He feels the steady beat and is almost lulled back to sleep before he remembers he’s supposed to be rising _with_ the sun not against it.

Zuko lets out a deep sigh before slightly opening his eyes to the tiny world of his and Sokka’s room. The place he feels the safest, the place he can be his truest self. He knows deep down that the room would mean nothing without the man next to him sharing it.

Light seeps out from behind the dark maroon curtains, just enough for Zuko to make out the arm flung across him, ending at the nape of his neck with fingers tangled in his hair. Sokka’s other arm acts as a pillow underneath Zuko’s head and ends with a hand touching the bare skin of the other man’s lower back. This is typical Sokka; always touching, grabbing, petting. It was a little overwhelming for Zuko at first, but now he feels as if he could never get enough. He can’t help but savor every moment of warmth encased in his husband’s arms, and patiently wait for the reward of being the first thing he sees upon opening his eyes.

Zuko slowly shifts up onto an elbow and looks down on the sleeping man. After a moment, he takes his hand from its place on his chest and carefully brushes the fallen strands of hair away from Sokka’s face. He takes his thumb and lovingly traces the lines around his eyes, the apple of his cheek, and lastly his bottom lip.

Suddenly, this morning is moving all too slow. He can’t help himself, Zuko lowers his head into the crease of Sokka’s neck and breathes in his scent again before starting a trail of kisses up to his earlobe. Still asleep, Sokka is drawn into the sensation, moving his head in his lover’s direction and tightening his hold around his waist.

“Baby,” Zuko murmurs as he continues placing soft kisses until he reaches the tip of the other man’s nose. As if on cue, eyelashes slowly open to reveal the pale blue of Sokka’s eyes. “ _Baby_ ,” Zuko whispers again; an affirmation, a confession, and a greeting all in one.

Sokka’s lips curl into a familiar smile, “Morning sunshine.”

His eyes, his smile, and finally Zuko leans down to kiss his lips. The other man hums softly against his lips, arms somehow wrapping even tighter, two bodies coming alive and coming home once again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever post.. comments + tips are welcomed!! I’ve only written non-fiction research papers in the last five years soooo fiction does NOT come very easy to me, but here we are.
> 
> Title is from Just a Lover / Hayley Williams.


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